Diving jacket

ABSTRACT

A diving jacket  1  having a strap  26  extending from one of paired shoulder regions  7  to the other of the shoulder regions  7  via an upper end of the jacket  1 . The strap  26  has its opposite ends fixed to the shoulder regions  7  and the length of the strap  26  is adjustable in at least one of the shoulder regions  7.

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a diving jacket.

BACKGROUND ART

It is well known to provide a back pad with a main belt used to fold anair tank along its body and a sub-belt adapted to be draped about thetop of the air tank in the vicinity of a valve so that a main belt mayhold the air tank on a jacket and the sub-belt may prevent the air tankfrom unintentionally falling off.

With a conventional jacket discribed above, it is certainly possible tohold a cylindrical body of the air tank on a jackets wearer's back usingthe main melt but it is difficult to fix the top of the air tank sincethe air tank is relatively long. Consequently, the top of the air tankis apt to move uncontrollably, i.e., to get near to or away from thewearer's back. Such movement of the air tank may often obstruct thewearer from freely swimming. The sub-belt, on the other hand, has itsopposite ends stitched to a neck of the jacket to form an annular belt.While it is possible for such sub-band to be loosely draped about thetop of the air tank, such sub-belt is not suitable to suppress amovement of the tank's top.

It is an object of this invention to provide a diving jacket adapted tofix not only a cylindrical body of the air tank but also the top of theair tank to the wearer's back.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to this invention, there is provided a diving jacketcomprising a back pad, a pair of shoulder regions extending from anupper end of the back pad on right and left sides thereof beyondwearer's shoulders into a front body side, and a means to hold an airtank on the back pad.

The jacket is further provided with a strap extending from one of theshoulder regions to the other shoulder region via the upper end of theback pad and adapted to encircle a top of the air tank in the vicinityof the upper end and the strap has its opposite ends fixed to theshoulder regions and is adapted to be length-adjustable in at least oneof the shoulder regions.

In one preferred embodiment of this invention, the strap is adapted tobe length-adjustable in one of the shoulder regions.

In another preferred embodiment of this invention, the strap is adaptedto be length-adjusted by a buckle or buckles.

In still another preferred embodiment of this invention, the strap isadapted to be length-adjusted by a so-called mechanical fastener.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the jacket as viewed from its frontside;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the jacket as viewed from its backside;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along a line III—III inFIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of the jacket showing aspecific embodiment of the strap used to hold the air tank; and

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4 but showing another embodiment of thestrap used to hold the air tank.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

Details of a diving jacket according to this invention will be morefully understood from the description given hereunder in reference tothe accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a jacket 1 as viewed from its frontside and FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the jacket 1 as viewedfrom its back side. The jacket 1 comprises a jacket body 2 adapted togive a wearer buoyancy by an appropriate amount of air supplied into itsinterior with a medium pressure hose 5 extending from the jacket body 2and connected via a first stage 4 to an air tank 3 indicated byimaginary lines, and an inflator hose 5B extending from a second stage5A mounted on a distal end of the medium hose 5 and connected to a rearside of the jacket body 2. The jacket body 2 includes a back pad 6, apair of shoulder regions 7 adapted to extend from an upper end at rightand left regions beyond shoulders toward the front side, and a pair oftrunk regions 8 adapted to extend forward circumferentially fromtransversely opposite sides of the back pad 6. A pair of upper and lowerlength-adjustable belt pieces 9 used to fasten the tank 3 are attachedto the back pad 6.

The respective shoulder regions 7 comprise a pair of extensions 7A and apair of connector straps 11 separately of the respective extensions 7A.The respective extensions 7A are length-adjustably connected to therespective connector straps 11 by means of buckles 12. Lower ends of therespective connector straps 11 are fixed to the trunk regions 8.

These trunk regions 8 respectively have paired straps 13, 14 attached tothe inner side of these trunk regions 8 and can be retained in closecontact with the wearer's torso by these straps 13, 14.

The straps 13, 14 include female and male buckles 16, 17, respectively,which are detachably engaged with each other so that the straps 13, 14may be length-adjustably connected to each other. Alternatively oradditionally, one of the paired trunk regions 8 may be provided on itsouter surface with a female member 18 of a so-called mechanical fastenerand the other trunk region 8 may be provided on its inner surface with amale member (not shown) of the mechanical fastener to ensure that thepair of trunk regions 8 are retained in close contact with the wearer'storso.

The medium pressure hose 5 and the inflator hose 5B connected to eachother via the second stage 5A are held on the left side of the shoulderregions 7 by a band member 21 provided in this shoulder region. A mouthpiece 23 is attached to the second stage 5A.

In the jacket body 2 as has been described above, a tank holding strap26 extends from one of the shoulder regions 7 to the other of theshoulder regions 7 via the upper end of the jacket body 2. Opposite ends27, 28 of the tank holding strap 26 are fixed to the shoulder regions 7by stitching. Such tank holding strap 26 preferably includes a means toadjust an effective length of the strap 26, for example, buckle orbuckles 29 as in the illustrated embodiment so as to be operativelyassociated with one or both of the shoulder regions 7. The tank holdingstrap 26 may be draped about the top of the tank fixed to the jacketbody 2 and tightened between the opposite ends 27, 28 using the buckleor buckles 29 to draw a top of the tank 3 toward the wearer's back andthereby to fix the top of the tank 3 thereto. If the tank 3 is fixed tothe wearer's back in this manner, it will not make, however hard thewearer behaves, the top of the tank move unstably on the back of thewearer and will not prevent the wearer of the jacket 1 from movingfreely. The tank holding strap 26 is held in the respective shoulderregions 7 by respective band members 31 provided in the respectiveshoulder regions 7.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along a line III—III inFIG. 1, showing a major part. The tank holding strap 26 is divided intoupper and lower regions 32, 33 in each of the shoulder regions 7 so thatan end of the upper region 32 inserted through the associated buckle 29is folded back onto and stitched to this upper region 32 at its zone 32Ato retain the buckle 29 while the lower region 33 is length-adjustablyinserted through the buckle 29.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of the jacket showing aspecific embodiment of the strap 26 and the buckle 29 used to hold theair tank. The buckle 29 comprises female and male members 29A, 29Bdetachably engaged with each other of which the female member 29A isattached to the tank holding strap 26 in its upper region 32 and themale member 29B is attached to the strap 26 in its lower region 33 sothat the effective length of the strap 26 may be adjusted by this malemember 29B.

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4 but showing another embodiment of thetank holding strap 26 and a means to adjust the length of the strap 26.The tank holding strap 26 is divided into the upper region 32 and thelower region 33 along at least one, or preferably along both of theshoulder regions 7. The strap 26 is provided in the upper region 32 withthe male member 36 of the mechanical fastener well known by the tradename of MAGIC TAPE or the like and in the lower region 33 with thefemale member 37 of the mechanical fastener.

This invention is applicable not only to the jacket 1 with abuoyancy-adjustable function as has been described above but also to ajacket without a buoyancy-adjustable function.

In the diving jacket according to this invention, the tank holding strapadapted to be draped about the top of the tank extends to the respectiveshoulder regions and its length is adjustable in these shoulder regions.In other words, the length of the tank holding strap may be adjusted andtightened after the jacket has been worn to avoid an anxiety that thetank might unintentionally fall off due to the strap being slackened.Furthermore, it is not apprehended that the top of the tank might moveunstably on the wearer back during the wearer is swimming or diving.

What is claimed is:
 1. A diving jacket comprising: a back pad; a pair ofshoulder regions extending from an upper end of said back pad on rightand left sides thereof beyond a wearer's shoulders into a front bodyside; a means to hold an air tank on said back pad; said jacket beingprovided with a strap extending from one of said shoulder regions to theother shoulder region via said upper end of the back pad and adapted toencircle a top of said air tank in a vicinity of said upper end; andsaid strap having opposite ends thereof fixed to said shoulder regionsand being adapted to be length-adjustable in at least one of saidshoulder regions.
 2. The jacket according to claim 1, wherein said strapis adapted to be length-adjustable in one of said shoulder regions. 3.The jacket according to claim 1, wherein said strap is adapted to belength-adjusted by a buckle or buckles.
 4. The jacket according to claim1, wherein said strap is adapted to be length-adjusted by a mechanicalfastener.